Bleach2G: The Candy and the Strawberry
by Raptorcloak
Summary: While his most of his friends are away on vacation, Ichiku meets a friendly girl named Candice, who's temporarily visting town, and shows her around to kill time; unaware of her true intentions for him once their tour is over. Please R&R if enjoyed. Now available on Archive of Our Own.


Welcome back to my _**Bleach2G**_ series and in this story, we'll see Ichiku spend time with a temporary new friend who you'll easily recognize. At the end of this story, we'll get a good surprise that many have asked for in all the years I've wrote Bleach stories and I hope you enjoy it.  
Summary: While out and wandering, Ichiku meets and befriends a Quincy girl who happens to be visiting Karukura Town.  
Disclaimer: I don't own _**Bleach**_.  
Note: In this story, Ichiku and the camp are now 9-10 in terms of age.

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 **A SKETCHRAPTOR PRODUCTION**

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Ichiku headed out of his home and started walking around outside before sighing. Normally, he'd be meeting up with his friends but any friend of his that lived on the Human world had left on family vacations such as Nick and Sierra, Soken, Bambietta, Sorahime, Michael and Audrey along with Keiko.

Though his friends who resided in the Soul Society were still able to visit him, he couldn't help but feel slightly bored that his best friend, Nick, wasn't around and continued walking around. Then, he came to the park and noticed a girl about his age sitting on a bench.

She had light green wavy hair and blue eyes before looking at him. A friendly smile appeared on her lips and Ichiku smiled back at her friendly gesture.

"Well, hello there! How's your day going?" The girl asked.

"My day is going swell and yours?" Ichiku smiled back.

"Mine is great, thanks for asking!" The girl energetically smiled before jumping onto her feet and approaching Ichiku. They eagerly shook each other's hands and continued to smile at one another.

"My name's Ichiku Kurosaki and who are you?" Ichiku smiled.

"I'm Candice Catnipp; nice to meet you!" the girl said as she shook Ichiku's hand and laughed.

"Haven't you around here before; are you new to town?" Ichiku asked.

"Well, I'm only passing through here with my family to Kyoto and I'm just out and about until it's time for me to go in another hour. How about you?" Candice asked.

"Oh, I'm just out roaming around since most of my friends aren't around." Ichiku answered.

"That's too bad but since you live here, would you care to show me around?" Candice asked.

"Sure!" Ichiku smiled before they started walking around the park and Candice took out a candy-cane before licking it.

"You sure like candy-canes, don't you?" Ichiku asked.

"You bet I do! In fact, my nickname is Candy." Candice said as she handed another candy-cane to Ichiku.

"Thanks and they should call you Candy-Cane." Ichiku laughed.

"You can call me that if you want to." Candice giggled and Ichiku smiled as he took her to a hill.

"See, Candice, this is the best way to see the whole park." Ichiku said and she smiled at the great view of the park before she noticed a ghost floating in the air nearby. He munched on a cheese sandwich and looked at Ichiku and Candice before waving at the children.

"Hi!" Candice happily answered as she waved her hand at the ghost and Ichiku looked at her with surprise.

"Candice, you can see ghosts, too?" Ichiku asked.

"That's right since I'm a Quincy and I'll bet you're one too." Candice said.

"No, I'm not a Quincy but I can see ghosts given I'm sort of a soul myself." Ichiku said.

"You're a soul?" Candice asked.

"Yes, since I was born in the Soul Society but raised here." Ichiku explained.

"That's sounds so cool." Candice smiled.

"Anyway, that aside, come this way." Ichiku said and the two walked.

"But, wait, if you're a soul, why aren't you in the Soul Society?" Candice asked.

"Because my Dad's a Human with Soul Reaper powers and my Mom's an actual Soul Reaper who lives here." Ichiku explained.

"That's amazing!" Candice said.

"Thank you, I think so, too." Ichiku smiled.

"Are there any other Souls that live here like you?" Candice asked.

"Well, six of my friends that live here are and in fact, my friends, Bambietta and Soken, are Quincys like you." Ichiku said.

"Wow! Can I meet them?" Candice said.

"They're off on vacation right now, so…" Ichiku said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ichiku but I'm sure they'll be back before you know it." Candice said and Ichiku looked back at her with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, I'll bet you're right." Ichiku gratefully smiled and Candice giggled before returning the gesture. Then, they heard a loud groan and looked to see Ōmaeda looking around before Ichiku approached him.

"Hey, big fella, what's wrong?" Ichiku asked and the large man looked down at him and Candice.

"Move back, you munchkins! I'm trying to capture a dog spirit!" Ōmaeda loudly proclaimed.

"They sent a Lieutenant like you down here just to capture a dog? Doesn't that seem a bit low for you?" Ichiku asked.

"Nonsense; if my Captain wants me to find something I'll give it my all!" Ōmaeda proclaimed and both Candice and Ichiku felt a spiritual pressure nearby.

"I think what you're looking for is…" Candice tried to say.

"Get back, you two! The dog could be anywhere!" Ōmaeda shouted.

"But she's trying to tell you that its…" Ichiku tried to say.

"Move it!" Ōmaeda said and Ichiku and Candice looked at each other before shrugging.

"Ok but you asked for it." Candice said and before Ōmaeda could yell at them once again, barking was heard nearby before the large man looked in the noise's direction. Just then, the spirit of a German Shepherd came running towards Ōmaeda and leaped at him before landing on him.

"Get off!" Ōmaeda yelled at the dog as it licked him and took off running before Ichiku and Candice started laughing at him. He groaned and wiped the slobber off his face before groaning in disgust.

"Well, I guess that means the dog likes you." Ichiku laughed as Ōmaeda rose from the ground and continued to groan. Before he could say anything, he felt an intense itch on his body and looked down to see what appeared to be fleas on his chest.

"Hey! What…ow!" Ōmaeda said before the fleas spread across his body and he found himself scratching his body as intensely as he could before spinning around. Since the fleas of a mammalian ghost could make any being with or without fur itch, Ōmaeda scratched himself for several minutes while Ichiku and Candice stood by watching as he yelled.

Finally, Ōmaeda couldn't stand the fleas anymore and ripped off his uniform, leaving him in his socks and underwear. Ichiku and Candice both burst into laughter at the towering lieutenant's lack of clothing to the point of tears falling from their eyes.

Ōmaeda stamped his foot on the ground in anger and Ichiku and Candice took off running using Shunpo and Hirenkyaku respectively. Once they were out of the park, they got out the lasts of their laughs and looked to each while catching their breaths.

"That guy's a lieutenant?" Candice breathlessly asked.

"Yeah; I can believe it either and take it from me, my Mom's a Lieutenant, too." Ichiku chuckled before he and Candice sat against a tree.

"Oh, really?" Candice asked.

"Yes, she is." Ichiku said.

"What about your Dad; does he work for Soul Society, too?" Candice asked.

"Yes and no since he's a Substitute Soul Reaper who mainly protects this area from hollows and other threats but the Soul Society does pay him to kill hollows." Ichiku explained.

"Do you want to be a Soul Reaper when you grow up?" Candice asked.

"Well, I would love to be a Lieutenant just like my Mom." Ichiku said.

"I'll bet your Mom must be pretty happy to know that." Candice smiled and Ichiku chuckled.

"She definitely is and what about you, Candice?" Ichiku asked.

"Me? Hmm…I'd like to be a Quincy that's like a soldier." Candice said.

"Do you mean something like an army of Quincies?" Ichiku asked.

"Yes, I sure do." Candice answered.

"Well, I've been told there aren't much Quincies left but an army of them might be a great thing to see happen." Ichiku said.

"I think so, too." Candice said before they spotted Ōmaeda running after the dog in his underwear and the children both fell victim to their laughter once again at the sight. They watched him pursue the dog before Ichiku resumed showing Candice around town and brought to a water fountain.

"Well, Ichiku, how are you doing?" A voice asked and Ichiku looked down to see Kira in her cat form.

"Hi, Kira, what have you been up to?" Ichiku smiled and Candice blankly started at Kira before she looked at the younger girl.

"What's the matter? You've never seen a talking cat before?" Kira asked and an amazed smile started to build on Candice's face.

"No, but I've never seen a cat as amazing as you before! Ichiku, you know this cat?" Candice excitedly asked.

"This is my friend, Kira Urahara, who's actually an older girl who can transform into a cat at will." Ichiku said.

"Well, hello, Kira, my name is Candice Catnipp." Candice said as she shook Kira's front paw and the cat smiled.

"Are you new to Karukura Town?" Kira asked.

"Yes since I'm actually just passing through with my parents and I'm just waiting until its time for me to go." Candice said.

"Is your family having car troubles?" Kira asked.

"Yes but there's no rush since Ichiku here is showing me around." Candice explained and Kira looked at the young Quincy before noticing she bore a striking facial resemblance to Rangiku.

"Well, then have fun you two." Kira smiled before the two children started walking past her.

"Nice meeting you, Kira!" Candice smiled.

"See you around, Kira!" Ichiku said and Kira only chuckled.

"Goodbye, Ichiku, you sly boy…" Kira chuckled to herself before jumping onto a fencepost and leaving.

"Wow, Ichiku, I still can't believe you know a talking cat!" Candice excitedly said.

"With the life I have, a ton of things I know would surprise you to no end." Ichiku said.

"Like what?" Candice asked.

"It'd take forever to explain, Candy-Cane." Ichiku said and Candice laughed at the rhyme he'd made.

"Where to next?" Candice asked.

"Just the best place to kill time." Ichiku said and they arrived at the local arcade. After playing several games, the young pair left and Candice looked at her watch before realizing it wouldn't be much longer before she had to return to her parents.

"That sure was a blast, huh, Candice?" Ichiku asked.

"You bet it was but Ichiku, it won't be long before I have to get back to my parents." Candice said.

"Well, is there anything you'd like to do before you have to go?" Ichiku asked.

"What do you think is most fun to do?" Candice asked and Ichiku smiled before gently taking her hand.

"This way!" Ichiku smiled before running forward and they arrived at Urahara's shop. They entered the shop and Ichiku tapped the bell a single time before Urahara appeared.

"Why, hello, Ichiku and who might you be, young lady?" Urahara jovially asked.

"I'm Candice Catnipp; pleased to meet you." Candice smiled.

"The pleasure's mine. What can I get for you today, Ichiku?" Urahara asked.

"I'll take two of the usual." Ichiku said and Urahara brought two Wakame Ambassador candies out before they were paid for. Candice observed the oddly shape candy before Ichiku laughed and took a bite out of his bar.

"Try it; it might look weird at first but I promise you'll like it." Ichiku said and Candice bit a small piece of the candy bar before smiling.

"Say, this isn't bad at all." Candice chuckled before biting it again as she and Ichiku returned to the park. They sat on the swings and finished their respective Wakame Ambassador bars.

"That was delicious, Ichiku. Are they only sold in Mr. Urahara's shop?" Candice asked.

"No, they're actually sold in the Soul Society by a Soul Reaper Captain named Byakuya Kuchiki." Ichiku said.

"I'll bet they sell like hotcakes since they're so delicious." Candice said.

"Well, not a ton of people buy it in the Soul Society." Ichiku said.

"You've got to be kidding! They're delicious!" Candice said.

"People in Soul Society think they look weird and my friend Hisana, Captain Kuchiki's niece, says I'm his best customer for them." Ichiku said.

"Hard to believe people think something so tasty is so underappreciated." Candice said.

"I think so, too." Ichiku said before Candice's watch beeped and she took out a pager from her pocket before typing on it.

"Well, Ichiku, it's time for me to go." Candice said as she stood up from the swing.

"It was nice meeting you, Candy-cane; maybe we can meet again someday." Ichiku began to say before feeling something pressing against his cheek and looked to see it was Candice kissing him. He blankly stared into space as she did so and she stopped with a giggle.

"What are you doing?" Ichiku asked one he snapped out of his trance.

"Kissing you, of course." Candice giggled and Ichiku nervously sweated at being kissed for the first time by a girl.

"Oh, look at the time, I'd better be going." Ichiku said before using Shunpo to leave the playground and hid in some bushes. He continued to sweat as he tried to conceal his spiritual energy and kept hidden from Candice.

Ichiku shivered as he rubbed his cheek before shuddering as well and he focused on trying to conceal his spirit energy. Due to his rich amount of spiritual energy inherited from his parents, hiding it was never easy since it was the equivalent of holding one's breath underwater for an excessive amount time and he went stiff for a moment as he noticed a long red spirit ribbon just above his head.

Realizing what this meant, he gulped and nervously looked to his left to see Candice's face peering out of the bushes as she finished applying some light lipstick. He then figured he didn't hide his spirit energy in time and that Candice used her Quincy abilities to track him down; neither child noticing that the other half of the ribbon was white.

"Clever girl." Ichiku managed to say before Candice sprang forward and pounced on him. He fell on his back and looked up in time to see Candice shoot her lips at him.

"Wait!" Ichiku said right as his face was met with a series of kisses before ending them with another kiss on the cheek and giggled as she stood. She started to walk away before looking back at Ichiku a final time and giving him a sweet smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Ichi-cutie." Candice giggled before using Hirenkyaku to leave and Ichiku got to his feet. He rubbed his face and shuddered in disgust at having been kissed the way he had.

He wasted no time in using Shunpo to return home and entered the house before going to the bathroom. Ichiku groaned as he looked in the mirror at the lipstick marks on his face and the fact that light lipstick was still on him proved just how heavy Candice's kisses had been.

"My face…" Ichiku said before wetting a washcloth and starting to rub his face before hearing a sound behind him. He turned around to see a young boy and girl of five years of age staring at him.

The girl had orange hair with strawberry blonde hair like Ichiku but carried eyes like that of Ichigo and the other boy was the spitting image of aforementioned man in hair and eye details.

"Ichiku, what happened to you?" The girl, Masaki, asked.

"Yeah, what are those weird things all over your face?" The boy, Yahiko, inquired.

"Kiss marks." Ichiku said and both of his younger siblings frowned in disgust.

"Yuck! Kissing is gross." Yahiko and Masaki answered in unison.

"Tell me about it but I'll be fine." Ichiku smiled at the two as he finished washing his face and left the bathroom; unaware there was a sole lipstick mark on the lower left side of his face. Ichigo walked by and noticed the mark on Ichiku.

"What in the world happened to you?" Ichigo asked upon seeing the lipstick mark.

"What do you mean, Dad?" Ichiku asked.

"That." Ichigo said as he pointed out the lipstick mark on his elder son's cheek and the young boy panicked upon realizing its presence. He fled back into the bathroom and started rubbing the towel on his cheek.

However, it still remained after he washed it and he nervously tried it again. Still, it remained before Ichiku headed to his room and wore a gatorneck to cover his face.

"There." Ichiku said.

"Now, Ichiku, hiding behind a gatorneck isn't going to help you. Let me get a closer look at it." Ichigo said and Ichiku removed the gatorneck as his father studied it.

"Who's been kissing you?" Ichigo asked.

"It was this Quincy girl named Candice that I hung out with today." Ichiku said.

"A girl named Candice?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, she said she was just visiting town for a day and I offered to show her around. Long story short, I showed her around town and right when it's time for her to leave, she kisses me." Ichiku said.

"Oh…well, you did get your looks from your mother and me." Ichigo chuckled.

"Daddy, kissing isn't funny!" Masaki said as she started dabbing Ichiku's cheek with the towel.

"Oh, Masaki, you don't know how right you are." Ichiku said.

"Well, son, didn't you tell Candice you didn't like being kissed?" Ichigo asked.

"Tell her? She was kissing me so fast that I couldn't say anything at all." Ichiku said.

"She just kissed you out of the blue?" Yahiko asked as Masaki continued to dab the mark on Ichiku's face until she accomplished doing so as he nodded to his younger brother's question.

"Well, it's off, now." Masaki said.

"Thanks, Masaki." Ichiku said.

"Do you think you'll ever see her again?" Masaki asked.

"I don't think so; she said she was only passing through town." Ichiku said.

"Ichiku, are you sure?" Yahiko asked.

"I wouldn't count on it." Ichiku said and Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle.

"Dad, come on, have you ever had a wavy-haired girl suddenly knock you down and start kissing you out of the blue?" Ichiku asked and Ichigo remained silent when he heard Rangiku humming as she walked by the room. He blushed at the numerous times she'd pounced on him and kissed him before she poked her head in the room.

"Hi, everyone!" Rangiku said before Yahiko and Masaki greeted their returned mother.

"Ichiku, are you alright?" Rangiku asked.

"No, it's terrible." Yahiko asked.

"Momma, Ichiku got kissed by a girl!" Masaki said and a big smile spread across Rangiku's face as she approached her elder son.

"Is that so, Ichiku?" Rangiku smiled and he just nodded.

"That's my boy!" Rangiku said as she patted Ichiku's head.

"Momma, why are you so happy over him getting kissed?" Yahiko asked.

"Masaki, Yahiko, kissing isn't anything to be sad about! So, who's the lucky girl?" Rangiku excitedly asked Ichiku and he explained about Candice.

"A Quincy girl, huh? The moment I heard you'd been kissed, the first girl who came to mind was Meishiro." Rangiku said.

"Meishiro? With her being my friend, it'd be weird if she kissed me." Ichiku said.

"Oh?" Rangiku smiled.

"Ichiku, kisses aren't anything to be grossed out by." Ichigo said.

"They are so!" Masaki and Yahiko protested.

"Sweethearts, they're nothing to fear. For example, every time I kiss your father, there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes, it's still gross!" The smaller orange-haired twins responded and Ichigo laughed before crouching down to the two.

"What your Momma means is that in some instances, kissing isn't a horrible thing." Ichigo explained.

"Why?" Masaki asked and Ichigo chuckled.

"I'll tell you two when you're older." Ichigo said and Ichiku got up from the bed before opening a Senkaimon.

"Where are you going, Ichiku?" Rangiku said.

"Mind if I go see Meishiro?" Ichiku asked.

"Sure, son." Ichigo answered before Ichiku vanished into the Senkaimon with a butterfly.

"See ya, Casanova!" Rangiku laughed.

"I'm not Casanova!" Ichiku's voice called back before the Senkaimon closed behind him.

"Momma and Daddy sure have a weird way of explaining things sometimes." Yahiko said as Ichigo and Rangiku left the room with them following suit.

"You can say that twice." Masaki said.

 _Minutes later_

"She kissed you?" Meishiro said in surprise as she and Ichiku sat in front of her home.

"Yes, it's crazy but true." Ichiku asked.

"She didn't kiss you on the lips, did she?" Meishiro asked.

"Thank goodness she left before she could." Ichiku said.

"Well, the worst is over, Ichiku." Meishiro smiled and Ichiku smiled back at his friend.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ichiku smiled as he knew Meishiro was just the person to talk to aside from his parents whenever he wanted to discuss. While she was somewhat envious of Candice's boldness, Ichiku's reaction to it served to remind her that he wasn't mentally ready for kissing yet and that her inner desire of doing that would have to wait.

" _She didn't kiss his lips, after all. Maybe, I'll be the one to kiss them someday."_ Meishiro thought to herself.

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I'll bet most of you are surprised to see Candice in a story like this and that instead of being homicidal and short-tempered, she's sweet and girly. I thought the funniest way of differencing Candice from who most people know her to be was her instant crush on Ichiku and to have her kiss him the way she did.

Some may ask will Candice and Ichiku ever meet again one day and if I go by the current timeline by making her a Sternritter, will they still be friends or enemies? I won't necessarily answer that but I'll say maybe since it'd be an interesting storyline.

Yes, many of you have asked me to do this for many years now and as you can see, Ichiku not only has a little sister but a brother as well. In all honesty, I had planned to introduce Masaki and Yahiko years ago when I first joined this site but then _**Solar Crystal Angel's**_ IchigoxRangiku story named _**Strawberries and Peaches**_ had a similar scenario where Rangiku was pregnant with twin daughters.

So, to avoid similarities with that idea and allow her to proceed with her plotline, I scrapped Masaki and Yahiko's existence and made Ichiku an only child until now since I'm reaching my 100th story which will be another Bleach2G entry.

Be sure to tune into my next entry of Bleach2G and celebrate my 100th story milestone.


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